jingle shells

by Pam

Collecting Shells in the Heat of a Florida Summer

It’s summer in Florida and not my favorite time of year. We go out on the boat about once a week, and it’s been high tide at the times we recently traveled the waterways. High tide means fewer beaches and exposed sand out in the river. The normal places to find big living conchs, like […]

by Pam

Why So Many Black Seashells?

Seashells come in many lovely colors, but it’s odd to find all black seashells. Certain shells have dark lines or spots and are made that way by the snail inside, but this is different. One day while collecting shells, I found an unusual number of all-black shells. Sometimes out in the wild a living shell, […]

by Pam

The Mermaid’s Toenails Turned Black

The common jingle shell (Anomia ephippium) is easy to identify, but maybe not from a distance. While walking along the shoreline, spotting a black shell could mean you’ve found just about anything. Any shell can end up turning dark gray or black in color if the conditions are right. On my latest visit to the […]

by Pam

Jingle Shells aka Mermaids’ Toenails

Jingle shells (Anomia ephippium) are not hard to find on the beaches of Florida. They can also be found from Massachusetts to Brazil according to my seashell ID book. They have been given the nickname “Mermaid’s Toenails” and I can see why. They are wrinkled and polished looking and come in a variety of translucent […]

by Pam

Pictures of Seashells From Sanibel Island

Sanibel Island is located on the west coast, the Gulf coast of Florida. It is well known as an excellent location for collecting seashells. On the shores of Sanibel Island and neighboring Captiva, a wide variety of sea life and various types of shells wash up on shore. I visited and stayed there twice in the […]